ACCA Certified Accounting Technician

Entry requirements: Open entry

Certain prior qualifications may entitle the student to exemptions from some or all papers.

As well as satisfying the examination requirements, students must also meet the necessary training requirement set by ACCA. Candidates must gain one year’s relevant work experience to complete the qualification as a whole.

This practical experience requirement can be gained before, during or after the completion of examinations. The practical element may be completed within any employment sector, whether corporate, public practice or private sector, and in any size of organisation.

Career Opportunities

The field of accounting offers a diverse range of career opportunities. The Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) programme leads to a vocational qualification based on national standards of competence, which allows graduates to competently support the work of professional accountants, as well as business managers in all aspects of the financial sector.

The role can be broadened to include staff supervision, budgeting, debt control and audit assistance.

Overview

This course prepares students for the examinations of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). ACCA is one of the world’s leading accountancy bodies and the Certified Accounting Technician (CAT) qualification is internationally recognised and highly regarded. Candidates who successfully gain the CAT qualification have demonstrated that they can work effectively in accounting support roles in all sectors of business.

The CAT scheme comprises a combination of examinations and practical experience. It is designed to equip you with all the necessary technical skills and knowledge required to fulfil an accounting role to technician level. It also provides a firm foundation of knowledge and the opportunity to fast track towards becoming a professional ACCA accountant.

Limerick City College is a registered ACCA computer-based examination centre; this facility allows students the option to sit Papers 1, 2, 3 and 4 online.

Limerick City College Recruitment Service will assist students in fulfilling the practical work experience requirement can be gained before, during or after the completion of the examinations.

The practical element may be completed within any employment sector, whether corporate, public practice or private sector, and in any size of organisation.

Outline

Year 1:

Recording Financial Transactions (FA1)

Information for Management Control (MA1)

Maintaining Financial Records (FA2)

Managing Costs and Finance (MA2)

Accounting in Business (FAB)

Year 2:

Financial Accounting (FFA)

Management Accounting (FMA)

Foundations in Taxation (FTX)

Foundations in Financial Management (FFM)

Information

Course Leader: Glen Anderson Comm. (Hons), PGDip. SM, MBS (Hons)

The Limerick City College of Professional Accountancy is operated under the direction of Glen Anderson. Glen has extensive lecturing experience in the areas of Financial Accounting, Management and Information Systems and has delivered a range of programmes to both ACCA and University students. As Course Leader, Glen strives to include a strong practical emphasis in all the courses reflecting a wide-ranging multi-national and practical approach to professional accounting. The objective of the School is to educate accounting professionals with a strong set of integrated skills, balanced with a clear understanding of the accounting, financial and business environments vital to professional practice. Limerick City College School of Profession Accountancy offers a dynamic and professional teaching environment, characterized by a lecturing team with outstanding experience and an educational setting that promotes and encourages the highest levels of academic endeavour.

Assessment:

In order to ensure maximum levels of student achievement, the course is assessed through the use of continuous assessments and mock ACCA examinations.

Students will sit ACCA paper based examinations in both June and December of each year of study. Computer based exams can be taken in the college every Friday.

Award:

On successful completion of the CAT examinations, students will receive an invitation to become a Certified Accounting Technician. In order to obtain the qualification and use the designated letters CAT after their name, students must also satisfy the appropriate practical financial work experience requirement (1 year).

In this regard, students will benefit from Limerick City College workplace preparation programme and the college’s Recruitment Service will assist eligible students in obtaining relevant work experience.

Academic Progression Opportunities

Successful completion of the CAT examinations offers an exemption from the three Knowledge Papers of the ACCA Qualification (formerly known as the ACCA Professional Scheme) and students may automatically transfer to Skills Papers. By taking the examinations of the ACCA Qualification, students may qualify as accountants and may achieve a BSc (Hons) in Applied Accounting from Oxford Brookes University.